Top 10 WIP Hosts – I

top 10 WIP hosts imagePlease understand that I’m a nuisance to advertisers, radio stations, TV stations, and movie producers. As a discerning consumer, I refuse to devour the crap that the aforementioned are trying to ram down my throat as entertainment.

I’ll decide what’s good and what’s not in my world. Like the proverbial horse, you can lead me to water but you can’t make me drink.

I’ve been listening nonstop to WIP since the year Allen Iverson carried the Sixers to the finals. I tune in six nights per week – roughly from around 4:30 in the afternoon to around one o’clock in the morning – every night but Tuesday. I listened to WIP before that as well – ever since I returned to the States in 1992 – but not on such an exacting schedule.

Today, I’ll tell you who’s not on my list of 10 favorite hosts.

Some good jocks have been left off my list because I never hear them. Ike Reese and Michael Barkann fall into that category. I like both of them, but never listen to the radio at that time. I loved Ike when he was on with Rob Ellis a few years back. But I must preclude Ike Reese and Michael Barkann from this discussion.

Big Daddy Graham falls into the same category – but I do remember a call I made to him once on an overnight – have no idea why I was driving around at 4 a.m. Anyway, it was on the eve of the NBA trade deadline and rumors were flying that the Sixers were going to deal Theo Ratliff.

I called Big Daddy and said “Daddy, please tell me the Sixers aren’t going to trade Theo.” Big Daddy was on my side. He was against the trade as well.

Nevertheless, I woke up the next morning to the smirking mugs of Larry Brown and Billy King on Comcast. The deal was done. Theo was gone – Dikembe Mutombo was a Sixer – and the team’s fortunes still haven’t recovered from that trade.

Howard Eskin falls into the same group. I love Howard. He’s a hard-working, conscientious pro, but he’s not on very often anymore. And when he is, I’m not listening to the radio.

I like Glen Macnow, but he’s not on my list because he’s rarely on the air anymore. I listened to Glen way back when he was teamed up with Jody McDonald – who is on my list. I called them quite a few times during the O. J. Simpson murder investigation and trial. I was a true-crime writer at the time and specializing in high-profile murder cases. I was well-versed in what was happening and used to call to translate the legalese into layman’s terms.

On weekdays, I could listen to the Morning Show, but you couldn’t pay me enough. I take my hat off to Angelo Cataldi for his 25 years of success, but I can’t take his voice, his phony-sounding forced-laugh, or his over-exaggerated rants and raves. Shame – because I like Al Morganti and Rhea Hughes.

I remember back when Rhea was answering the phone – before she was on the air. And I remember listening to the Morning Show on September 11, 2001. Rhea was the one breaking the news to me about the World Trade Center disaster – and that’s one of those incidents when you never forget what you were doing when you found out.

I also like Hollis Thomas. In fact, he’s one of my 10 favorite hosts.

But I’ll take Mike and Mike every time in that time slot.

I’m asleep by the time Adam Reigner and Dave Uram make cameos – so they’re excluded.

Rob Ellis is not on my list. There was a time when he was – back when he was doing evenings with Ike Reese and then later on when he was flying solo. Can’t put my finger on it, but I noticed a change after he teamed up with Anthony Gargano. Or maybe it’s just because I only get him for an hour or so anymore.

That said, I was appalled when I was listening to Rob on Monday and heard him say that he found out about his demotion by reading about it at Crossing Broad. To me, his bosses at WIP lack class, guts, and common decency.

On Monday, I heard Rob say something else. He said that his job was an interaction with listeners. I gotta tell you, Rob, I’ve sent lots of tweets when you’re on the air – things that are pertinent to what you’re discussing – and never once a reply. That’s not my definition of interaction.

The Cuz wouldn’t have been on my list either. There was a time when I liked him, but no more. But if he surfaces at the Fanatic – as some rumors indicate – he may once again become a better option for me.

There are four voices that, whenever I hear them, I switch stations as fast as possible – Paul Jolovitz, Steve Trevelise, Sonny Hill, and Josh Innes.

Jolovitz likes to flaunt his Ivy League erudition. He likes to talk-down to callers. Sometimes he actually challenges listeners to call. He dares anyone who doesn’t agree with him to call because he’s going to tell them why they’re wrong. I even switch stations on the Eagles post-game show as soon as I hear him doing a locker-room interview. His voice is grating.

Trevelise chases me as soon as he plays his opening theme song. It’s his tribute to someone I neither know nor care about it – and it seems to go on and on. Plus he’s got a lineup of cronies who call and talk incessantly about subjects that don’t interest me. I stopped listening to him two years ago.

I don’t know if Sonny Hill is still on the air on Sunday mornings or not. There was a time a few years back when I was taking drives to see my grandson play hockey and Sonny was my only choice – the Fanatic had yet to come to town. Sonny spent too much time patting himself on the back for me.

I keep trying to give Josh Innes a try – because Marc Farzetta is often doing the updates and Marc is one of my favorites – but I can’t take Innes for very long. So I switch to the Fanatic.

Just found this quote from Andy Bloom: “Josh has the sports knowledge and strong opinions that are consistent with the original DNA of WIP. Fans of Sports Radio 94 WIP will appreciate Josh’s style and instantly connect to his personality.”

Wrong, Andy Bloom. Josh Innes is a charlatan. His style and personality are incongruent with mine. His DNA is consistent with TMZ – not WIP. And he has little or no respect for his listeners. He treats them like pawns in whatever game he’s playing. I switch to the Fanatic and listen to people I like.

But, now, starting today, I’m going to be put to the test. Tony Bruno and Innes are going to be co-hosting the Afternoon Show. I’ve heard Tony’s announcement about Innes being off the air briefly, but I never cared enough to dig into the specifics of when Innes will be back on and when they’ll be together.

Flat out – Tony Bruno is one of my all-time favorites. I listened to Tony in the old days at WIP and I listened to him for years when he was doing Into the Night with Miss Robin and Tim Cates. Loved that show. We were nightly companions.

But now I fear that Innes is going to intrude upon my listening pleasure. I’ve known the move was coming for some time, but didn’t know when until the official announcement came down at Wing Bowl.

For the last couple of months, I’ve been pumping Miss Robin – pun intended – for information. But she’s been non-committal, just saying they were working on something.

That means I’m going to be subjected to Innes from 4:30 to 6:00. If Tony can keep him under control, I’ll listen. If not, I’m screwed because I refuse to listen to Mike Missanelli. There was a time when I liked Mike – back when he was at WIP – but he changed over the years – and not for the better.

He’s a little too full of himself – not to mention that he’s owed me money for better than 20 years. Oops, I just mentioned it. He, of course would disavow any knowledge of me or the debt – but it was incurred when he was the publisher, or editor, or whatever he was, with The Fan magazine.

The last time I got into it with Missanelli was during the Riley Cooper uproar. I was defending Cooper. Missanelli – who grew up in Bristol and played sports most of his life – told me he’d never once used Cooper’s word. I didn’t believe him – but stopped short of calling him a liar. He’ll disavow any knowledge of that as well.

That’s it for today.

Tomorrow comes my 10 favorites.

Barry Bowe is the author of Born to Be Wild and 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant.

Written by Barry Bowe
Former sportswriter - first to put Timmy Duncan's name on the sports page.